Part of God’s Poetry

Jock Stein March 05, 2023 1 1

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Psalm 145: 1-3, 8-21 (NRSVA)

1 I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you,
    and praise your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
    his greatness is unsearchable.

 

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
    and his compassion is over all that he has made.

10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your faithful shall bless you.
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
    and tell of your power,
12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
    and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The Lord is faithful in all his words,
    and gracious in all his deeds.
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling,
    and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
    and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand,
    satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is just in all his ways,
    and kind in all his doings.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfils the desire of all who fear him;
    he also hears their cry, and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
    and all flesh will bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Do you ever feel insignificant, a tiny blob somewhere on a modest planet in a big solar system in a vast universe? Read the last verse of this Psalm – ‘my little mouth will praise God’, in parallel with ‘every human being will bless God’s name’. When you speak God’s praise, you do it on behalf of everyone (not to mention on behalf of all things). When you speak God’s praise, you become a line in a poem begun when the first human mouthed a tribute to the Creator. You become part of a poem commissioned by our heavenly Father, edited by our Lord Jesus, and still being inspired by the Holy Spirit.

When we write a poem, paint a picture, write a piece of music, make a film, devise a game we begin with something in mind, then allow something else to take over and develop it, perhaps in directions we did not foresee. There is order and freedom, thought and imagination in it all. Now read this Psalm and reflect on the art of God, and the privilege of being a little part of that today.

PRAY:

Lord, as we gather in worship with others, may we marvel at the purpose of creation, and your ability to forgive, to change, to heal, to renew, to restore, to spread compassion over all you have made.

As we journey on our own, may we use these psalms to be part of your great company of people past, present and future, and part of your eternal plan for justice, goodness, beauty, truth.

We pray through Jesus Christ, who died and rose to give us hope, in the worst and for the best. Amen.